AMS Cougar News
Sunday, April 16, 2023

Principal's Message
Dear AMS Cougar Families,
So while we were all enjoying Spring Break, we missed a very important celebration - National Assistant Principal's Week. Asheville Middle School is blessed to have three amazing Assistant Principals whose days are long and challenging each and every day. From supporting instruction to running restorative circles to facilitating parent conferences to building advisory lessons to coordinating bus transportation to building relationships with students and families to organizing testing to organizing field trips to serving as the administrator on duty at sporting events, they are indispensible to the work we do at Asheville Middle School. Since we missed their special week, let's pretend that this upcoming week is all about them. Please take a moment to thank them for the work that they do. Mrs. Adams (6th), Mr. Powchak (7th), and Mr. Johnston (8th), I could not do this job without you. Thank you!
I do want to let you know about some changes in previously published schedules:
- Home Track & Field Meet- Originally, we were hosting a track meet at AMS this upcoming Tuesday, April 18. It was only going to include certain events because of our limited facilities. Due to some upcoming scheduling conflicts for other schools, this Tuesday has become the final meet of the season, the Conference Meet, and will include all events. In order to do this, we are still hosting the event, but it will now be held at North Buncombe High School. I encourage you to come out and support the Cougars at that event! It starts at 4 PM.
- United Way Community Nights featuring Homework Diner- This week's Community Night has been cancelled. The Tuesday, April 25 event has been moved to Thursday, April 27 so that families attending the National Junior Honor Society Induction can come to eat before the ceremony at 7 PM. On Tuesday, May 2 at Community Night we will also have a presentation by our Digital Lead Teacher, Stuart Annand, entitled Parenting in the Digital Age. Our last Community Night of the year has shifted from Tuesday, May 9 to Thursday, May 11 so that families attending the Strings and Chorus Concert can come to eat before the concert at 7 PM. Community Nights are open to all families in teh Asheville City Schools. Please consider joining us for this important opportunity, with a catered meal, to fellowship with other ACS families.
- We have also made some shifts to the order of testing and days for the tests at the end of the year. Friday, May 26 will now be the Reading EOG for all grades. Wednesday, May 31 will be the Math EOG and Math I EOC. Thursday, June 1 will be the Science EOG for 8th grade only.
Our Speech and Debate Team scored high enough at regionals to be invited to the state competition on April 1 in Fayetteville. Since the competition was during our spring break, less than half of the team was available to travel, but we had a sixth grade student place third in Humorous Interpretation and two seventh grade students place third in Duo Interpretation. This is incredible! Kudos to Coach Guinevere Hartman and to the AHS/SILSA students who come each week to mentor our students.
I am also excited to announce that our sixth grade team wrote and won a grant from the NC Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council for $3000 to help fund their field trip to the Asheville Treetop Adventure Park, where students will participate in group cooperative challenges and other experiential activities. Way to go!
Monday and Tuesday of this week is Star Testing in Reading and Math. Please make sure that your students' Chromebook is fully charged and makes it to school on these days as the assessments are taken online.
Sign your student up for Afternoon Academy on Monday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday here.
Finally, report cards will go home tomorrow. Please sign and return them to your student's advisory teacher by the end of this week. If your student misplaces their report card, just reach out to the school and we can print another one.
Here's to another great week at Asheville Middle School!
Jo Landreth
Principal
Asheville Middle School
Delta House L.E.A.A.P. for Success After School Program & Summer Enrichment

ACS Middle School Athletic Eligibility Guidelines -Spring 2023
To determine Middle School athletic eligibility for spring sports 2023, certain academic, attendance, and behavioral criteria must be met.
Academic:
The 2nd Quarter report card will be used to determine initial eligibility in the spring sport.
The student must have passed (60% or greater) all 4 core courses (math, English, science, social studies) as evidenced by the 2nd Quarter report card.
If the student failed one or more core courses as evidenced by the 2nd Quarter report card, they will be on probation. They must attend Afternoon Academy at least two times per week. As long as they are attending Afternoon Academy, they may still play. For the 3rd Quarter Midterm on February 24, grades will be reviewed on this date to determine if probation continues. If students are passing all 4 core classes, they will be removed from probationary status. Coaches will monitor progress from week to week. If the student is not passing all 4 core classes, probation continues and students must attend two Afternoon Academies a week.
For the 3rd Quarter Midterm on February 24, grades will be reviewed on this date to determine if students are passing all 4 core courses. If not, the student will be placed on probation. They must attend Afternoon Academy at least two times per week. As long as they are attending Afternoon Academy, they may still play. At the 3rd Quarter Report Card on April 12, grades will be reviewed on this date to determine if probation continues. If students are passing all 4 core classes, they will be removed from probationary status. Coaches will monitor progress from week to week. If the student is not passing all 4 core classes, probation continues and students must attend two Afternoon Academies a week.
For the 3rd Quarter Report Card on April 12, grades will be reviewed on this date to determine if students are passing all 4 core courses. If not the student will be placed on probation for the rest of the season. They must attend Afternoon Academy at least two times per week. As long as they are attending Afternoon Academy, they may still play.
Attendance:
A student must be present more than ½ the school day (over 3.5 hours) in order to practice or participate in a game for that day.
Students must have been in attendance at least 85% of the previous semester.
Behavior:
If a student receives either an ISS or OSS on or for any given day, the student is not allowed to practice or participate in a game for that day(s). They may not dress out or sit with the team.
Coaches are expected to:
Share updated rosters with both AMS and MNSA principals and the Athletic Director upon formation of the team so that eligibility can be determined.
Monitor student athlete academic, attendance, and behavioral progress weekly.

Student Grief Support Groups
Grief counseling provided by Four Seasons is time-limited for the purpose of addressing grief that is related to the loss of a person by death. Professionally trained counseling staff utilize well-established, proven techniques. Students and their grief counselor will devise a plan to address their specific needs.
If you think this is a great fit for your student, please complete this form.
If you are interested in learning more, please let the AMS Counseling staff know!

Applying for Educational Leave
Just a reminder from the AMS Family and Student Handbook:
Requests for educational leave should be completed and submitted to the principal at least two weeks in advance of the planned travel. No more than five days will be approved, and families must submit this form and students must submit the assigned work to have the absence coded as educational leave.
In order for an absence to be considered educational, the student must meet educational goals and standards as outlined in the Standard Course of Study. All standards are available here on the NC Department of Public Instruction website. These standards must be listed out on the form.
COVID Reporting Form
Fall 2023 School Exclusion Criteria
School Health Program
A Division of the MAHEC Family Health Center
When to Keep Your Student Home from School
There are times when your student should not attend school. Keeping your student home at these times will prevent the spread of illness to other students at school. If you have questions, please contact your School Nurse, Lina Lam at 828-708-5328.
ILLNESS WHAT TO DO?
Difficulty breathing or other signs of serious illness - Keep student home. See Healthcare Provider.
**See COVID-19
Chickenpox
Keep student home until they have no new sores for 24 hours AND all sores are dried and crusted.
**During an outbreak of chickenpox, students who are NOT vaccinated for chickenpox (Varicella) and have been in close contact with someone sick with the infection will not be allowed at school for 21 days after they were last exposed to chickenpox, even if not sick.
COVID-19 (positive antigen or PCR/molecular test)
Keep student home until:
• It has been at least 5 days after the first day of symptoms (or specimen collection date if asymptomatic); AND
• It has been at least 24 hours since the student had a fever (without using fever reducing medicine); AND
• Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving
**Student should wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after the first day of symptoms to minimize the risk of infecting others, unless an exemption to mask use applies. The student may remove their mask sooner following 2 sequential negative tests 48 hours apart.
COVID-19 symptoms, including: • Fever or chills • Cough • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • Fatigue • Muscle or body aches • Headache • New loss of taste or smell • Sore throat • Congestion or runny nose • Nausea or vomiting • Diarrhea
Keep student home until:
- Student has received a negative PCR/molecular test for COVID 19 OR an alternate diagnosis from a healthcare provider AND: o It has been at least 24 hours since the student had a fever (without using fever reducing medicine); AND
- They have felt well for at least 24 hours
OR
- It has been at least 5 days after the first day of symptoms AND It has been at least 24 hours since the student had a fever (without using fever reducing medicine); AND Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving
**Unless student has received a negative PCR/molecular test or alternate diagnosis, they should wear a well-fitting mask for 10 days after the first day of symptoms to minimize the risk of infecting others, unless an exemption to mask use applies. The student may remove their mask sooner following 2 sequential negative tests 48 hours apart.
Diarrhea that cannot be controlled and/or has blood/mucus in it or with a fever
Keep student home. See Healthcare Provider.
**See COVID-19
Fever with oral temperature 100.4 F or higher and not feeling well enough to participate in class. Keep student home until fever-free for 24 hours without using fever- reducing medicine such as Motrin or Tylenol
**See COVID-19
Head lice
If lice are first found at school, student may stay until end of the day but may not return until treatment has been started and all live lice are gone.
Illness that prevents the student from taking part in class activities easily - Student may return to school when able to take part in activities.
Impetigo
Keep student home until 24 hours after antibiotics have been started.
MRSA
Keep student home if sore is draining and cannot be covered with a clean, dry bandage. Keep student home if they cannot keep from picking at sore.
Pink eye with white or yellow discharge or eye pain - Keep student home until seen by a healthcare provider and 24 hours after 1st dose of medicine, if prescribed.
Rash with fever or behavior change - Keep student home until seen by a healthcare provider and treated if needed.
Ringworm
If ringworm is first found at school, student may stay until end of the day if it can be covered. Student may not return until treatment has been started. Area must remain covered until completely healed.
Scabies
Student must stay home until after treatment is complete.
Strep throat
Keep student home until 24 hours after antibiotics have been started.
Vomiting 2 or more times within 24 hours- Keep student home until able to tolerate regular diet.
**See COVID-19
Dress Code
Clothing depicting offensive, violent, graphic images, or references to illegal activities are prohibited.
Outfits must not show stomach.
Tops must have fabric on the sides (under the arms) and front side (midriff) unless a student is wearing a tank top underneath.
Pajamas, slippers, blankets, onesies, and nighttime attire are prohibited unless for a special event (i.e. pajama day).
Specialized courses may require specialized attire, such as sports uniforms or safety gear.
Shorts and skirts must entirely cover the student’s bottom
Clothing must be opaque (not see-through) AND must cover undergarments and the torso. Waistbands and bra straps may be visible.
Students’ faces, including eyes must be visible; no full face coverings or sunglasses are allowed. Students with a medical or religious need to wear a face covering or sunglasses must turn in documentation to the principal’s office in order to be excluded from this policy. Students may wear medical masks for illness prevention without a doctor’s order.
Two Weeks at a Glance
Monday, April 17: Star Testing in Reading (bring Chromebooks to school fully charged!)
Monday, April 17: Report Cards go home
Monday, April 17: Afternoon Academy (3:30-5 PM)
Monday, April 17: School Improvement Team Meeting (3:45 PM)
Monday, April 17: Girls Soccer V. Cane Creek @ home (4:30 PM)
Monday, April 17: Baseball & Softball @ Cane Creek (5 PM)
Monday, April 17: ACS Board of Education Regular Meeting (5 PM @ 85 Mountain St.)
Tuesday, April 18: Star Testing in Math (bring Chromebooks to school fully charged)
Tuesday, April 18: Track @ N. Buncombe High School hosted by AMS (4:00 PM)
Wednesday, April 19: Two Hour Late Start
Wednesday, April 19: Afternoon Academy (3:30-5 PM)
Wednesday, April 19: Girls' Soccer @ Valley Springs (5 PM)
Wendesday, April 19: Baseball/Softball v. Reynolds @ home (4:30 PM)
Thursday, April 20: Afternoon Academy (3:30-5 PM)
Thursday, April 20: Golf @ Cummings Cove (4 PM)
Monday, April 24: Afternoon Academy (3:30-5 PM)
Monday, April 24: Baseball & Softball v. Owen @ home (4:30 PM)
Monday, April 24: Girls Soccer @ Owen (5 PM)
Wednesday, April 26: Administrative Professionals Day
Wednesday, April 26: Golf @Kenmure Country Club (4 PM)
Wednesday, April 26: Baseball & Softball v. Cane Creek @ home (4:30 PM)
Thursday, April 27: Community Night featuring HW Diner (5-6:30 PM)
Thursday, April 27: National Junior Honor Society Induction (7 PM)
Beyond two weeks, but worth looking ahead at:
Tuesday, May 2: Parenting in the Digital Age Workshop (5:30 PM)
Wednesday, May 3: Two Hour Late Start
May 26-June 9: End of Grade and End of Course Testing window
Friday, May 26: NC Reading End of Grade (EOG) Test (6-8)
Monday, May 29: Memorial Day Holiday (No School for Staff or Students)
Wednesday, May 31: NC Math End of Grade (EOG)/ NC Math I End of Course (EOC) Test
Thursday, June 1: NC Science End of Grade (EOG) Test (8th grade only)